Argue Someone Into Doing vs. Argue Someone To Do
Oxford directly documents “argue somebody into doing something” for persuading somebody by giving reasons. The cited construction evidence directly supports into + -ing; it does not license “argue someone to do” as an equivalent complement pattern.
Use “argue someone into doing” for the directly documented persuasion pattern; do not infer equal support for “argue someone to do.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning | Pattern | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| persuade a person through reasons | argue + person + into + -ing | the object is persuaded to take the action |
| ordinary argument/discussion | argue + about/over/for/against ... | the meaning is not persuasion into an action |
Quick tests
Persuasion test
Are you saying that reasons persuaded the person to perform the action?
If yes: Use “argue + person + into + -ing.”
If no: Choose the separate argue construction that matches the intended meaning; do not substitute “argue someone to do.”
Caveat: The reviewed evidence directly supports the into + -ing persuasion pattern, so this guide does not generalize a competing to-infinitive complement.
Examples
She argued him into reconsidering the proposal.
The object is persuaded, and the action follows “into.”
They argued over the proposal for an hour.
This is an ordinary discussion pattern, not the persuasion complement.
She argued him to reconsider the proposal.
Better: She argued him into reconsidering the proposal.
The reviewed persuasion construction uses “into + -ing.”
Further guidance
Boundary
The cited construction evidence directly supports into + -ing; it does not license “argue someone to do” as an equivalent complement pattern.
Construction
Oxford directly documents “argue somebody into doing something” for persuading somebody by giving reasons.
Decision
Use “argue someone into doing” for the directly documented persuasion pattern; do not infer equal support for “argue someone to do.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- argue into doing phrasal verb — Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries · Oxford learner-dictionary evidence directly documenting the argue someone into doing construction